As the November 5 election approaches, New Mexico voters will decide on the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) mill levy and the statewide General Obligation (GO) Bond 3 for Higher Education.

Del Esparza, chairman of the board of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, and Terri Cole, president and CEO of the Chamber, expressed their support for the UNMH mill levy in an op-ed published on September 8 in The Sunday Journal. They emphasized the importance of a strong healthcare system in attracting and retaining quality employees and businesses.

Esparza and Cole highlighted that the funding would help UNMH maintain its high-quality healthcare services. These include New Mexico's only Level 1 Trauma Center, a dedicated pediatric hospital at UNM Children's Hospital, which treats thousands of children annually, and a teaching hospital that serves as the primary teaching facility for the UNM School of Medicine. Additionally, it is home to the state's only NCI-designated cancer treatment center.

The GO Bond 3 aims to enhance public colleges, universities, and specialty schools across New Mexico without increasing taxes. It proposes more than $230 million in higher education funding statewide. This includes $94.5 million allocated for The University of New Mexico and its branch campuses.

If passed, Central New Mexico Community College would receive $10 million for its Center for Technical Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development and $6 million for health and safety improvements across all CNM campuses. These improvements would encompass emergency alert enhancements and code compliance upgrades.

Historically, voters have shown strong support for these GO improvement bonds over six election cycles from 2012 to 2022.